1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, a program for implementing the image processing method, and a recording medium for recording the program, with which multiple digital images are displayed and printed in a layout form.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, with the pervasion of digital cameras, it has become possible to take digitally photographs with ease. Also, large-capacity removable media represented by Compact Disc-Recordables (CD-Rs) have come into widespread use, so that the digitally-taken photographs are stored onto the CD-Rs.
When a large number of digital photographs are stored in a removable medium, however, it becomes completely impossible to know what photographs have been recorded in the medium unless they are read out from the medium. In order to solve this problem, on a label of a CD-R, a user writes letters or prints letters or an image using a printer capable of performing print on the CD-R label, thereby identifying each CD-R.
When multiple images of rectangular digital photographs are arranged along a circle such as a label of a CD-R, a user manually lays out the images, although it is very difficult to arrange them in a good balance. In addition, each time the number of images to be arranged increases or decreases, the user is required to perform the layout again, which is extremely complicated work. In view of this problem, a technique of arranging images concentrically is disclosed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-085450, for instance).
Also, in order to make it easy to know the contents of a recording medium (such as a CD-R), on which a plurality of image data have been recorded, a representative image, a title, or the like is printed on a label surface of the recording medium. In the case of a disk recording medium such as a CD-R in particular, its label surface has a circular shape or a doughnut shape in many cases. Therefore, when rectangular images are arranged on the label, it is required to think out the layout of the images so that the images are presented in an easy-to-see manner. In order to solve this problem, a technique is disclosed with which icons (images) are arranged along a spiral, thereby arranging the images so as to be contained within a circle (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-085450, for instance). Also, a technique is disclosed relating to a contents output apparatus with which information is presented on a screen in a circular area with buttons arranged concentrically and image information is linked to the respective buttons (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-287867, for instance).
With the conventional techniques described above, however, a user is only capable of arranging a predetermined number of images using a fixed layout, which means that the user cannot select an arbitrary number of images and arrange them by himself/herself. Also, it is impossible to arrange the images so as to overlap each other. Against this backdrop, a technique has been desired with which it is possible to automatically arrange images selected by a user in a concentric manner.
Also, when a very large number of images are arranged, a problem arises in that each image becomes very small.
Further, in the case of the conventional spiral image arrangement, each rectangular image is arranged under a condition where the shape thereof is not changed, so that a problem occurs in that it is impossible to fill a circular label surface with efficiency.
Still further, with the conventional technique with which concentric buttons are displayed, it is impossible to display photographs on the concentric buttons themselves and therefore there exists an increasing demand for a technique with which it is possible to arrange images concentrically.